Love Found Thanks to Social Media–But At What Cost?

Dating isn’t like it was back in the old days.

The “old days” as in the 90’s, that is.

No longer do couples get set up by their bosses on awkward first dates, or bump into each other on the street and know it’s love at first sight. Thanks to social media, such face-to-face interactions within the dating world are becoming things of the past.

Sites like match.com offer online dating services and state that, in today’s times, one in five couples are meeting via the internet. People upload a photo, make a profile, and begin their hunts for their soulmates in an instant.

Other social media sites like Facebook are increasingly becoming another way to meet potential suitors. By simply “friending” a person, people open themselves up to a realm of romantic possibilities. The ability to send messages, chat instantly, and share photos at the push of a button allows people to get to know each other quite quickly, leading to relationships then becoming the desired “facebook official.”

Yet, perhaps advancements in social media have caused this generation to be unappreciative of face-to-face interaction. Relationships now rely heavily on text messages, facebook statuses, and tweets. Further, breakups become public knowledge the minute one changes his or her online relationship status to “single”, and is now many people’s way of showing their exes that they are, indeed, done with the relationship.

People’s reliance primarily on virtual communication in addition to the public’s online observance of relationships leads not only to poor social skills, but also to faulty relationships that are doomed from the start. When people are used to using buttons to express emotions, what happens face-to-face?

Often, the romantic bliss pouring through laptops via facebook chats with significant others is missing when people are forced to communicate in real life. Couples can no longer hide behind the comfort of their screens or take time to debate on how to respond to a touchy text or facebook message.

Considering this, such rocky relationship foundations built largely through social media will likely add to the heightening divorce rate in this country. While social media is a far-reaching tool that is here to stay, people must learn how to balance virtual interaction with reality. If this does not happen, such virtual-based relationships will continue to lead to disappointment.